''L'Idiote'' (''The Idiot'') is a
comic
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicat ...
mystery play by
Marcel Achard
Marcel Achard (5 July 1899 – 4 September 1974) was a French playwright and screenwriter whose popular sentimental comedies Garzanti p. 3 maintained his position as a highly recognizable name in his country's theatrical and literary circles ...
. It was first performed in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
under that name at the
Théâtre Antoine in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in 1960-1962.
An English version was staged on Broadway in 1961–62 with the title ''A Shot in the Dark'', adapted by
Harry Kurnitz and directed by
Harold Clurman
Harold Edgar Clurman (September 18, 1901 – September 9, 1980) was an American theatre director and drama critic. In 2003, he was named one of the most influential figures in U.S. theater by PBS. . The cast included
Julie Harris,
Walter Matthau
Walter John Matthau ( Matthow; ; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, known for his "hangdog face" and for playing world-weary characters. He starred in 10 films alongside his real-life friend Jack Lemmon, including '' The Od ...
, and
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
as an incompetent Examining Magistrate. Matthau's performance earned him a
Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play
The Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actors for quality supporting roles in a Broadway theatre, Broa ...
.
When
adapted to film in 1964, it was extensively rewritten in order to replace the Examining Magistrate with the inept police
Inspector Clouseau
Inspector Jacques Clouseau (), later granted the rank of Chief Inspector, is a fictional character in Blake Edwards' farcical ''The Pink Panther'' series. Clouseau's immense ego, eccentricity, exaggerated French accent, and prominent mustache ...
, played by
Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...
, who had earlier originated the character in ''
The Pink Panther
''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Clouseau, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the fil ...
''.
[Blake Edwards DVD director's commentary, ''The Pink Panther'' (1964), MGM Movie Legends DVD release 2007]
Plot
The plot concerns a free-spirited, guileless and amoral young woman, Josefa (
Julie Harris in the original Broadway production), who works as a maid in the home of one of the most prominent and influential families in France. She was discovered in her bedroom, naked and unconscious, with the body of her Spanish lover Miguel across the room and the gun that killed him by her side. As the play begins, she is being brought before the Examining Magistrate to determine if there is enough evidence to take her to trial where, under the French legal system she will be considered guilty unless proven innocent.
The Examining Magistrate, Paul Sevigne (
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
), is handling his first case since being promoted to Paris from the provinces. Before the case begins we learn he has an ambitious wife who adores living in Paris; she wants Paul to go along with whatever his bosses want him to do so they don't get sent back to the boondocks. Paul also gets a visit from his boss who advises him to "get a quick confession" and bundle Josefa off to prison to avoid inconveniencing her wealthy banker boss, Benjamin Beaurevers (
Walter Matthau
Walter John Matthau ( Matthow; ; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, known for his "hangdog face" and for playing world-weary characters. He starred in 10 films alongside his real-life friend Jack Lemmon, including '' The Od ...
). When he interviews Josefa, she tries to confess to the crime, changing her story every time Paul brings up evidence that contradicts her statements. By the end of the first act, Paul realizes Josefa is lying to protect someone else. He confides to his clerk Morestan (
Gene Saks) the disastrous news: Josefa is innocent. There is an amusing scene in Act One in which Paul tells Josefa he wants to re-enact the crime "exactly as it happened". Josefa starts taking off her clothes, since she was naked when the shooting occurred, thinking that's what Paul means by "exactly". She is amused by the shocked reaction of Paul and Morestan when they notice her undressing.
The rest of the play involves Paul unraveling the mystery while ruffling the feathers of his superiors, incurring the wrath of his wife, and dealing with Josefa's obstinate attempts to protect her other lover (besides Miguel). Eventually, Paul learns the mystery lover is none other than her employer Beaurevers. A running gag is that Josefa seldom wears underpants and tends to trip over things, exposing her bare derrière; she relates that this is how her affairs with both men began. When Beaurevers learns that Paul knows about Josefa not wearing panties he quips, "I must say, your examinations are extremely thorough." Eventually with the mystery solved, the murderer is revealed and Paul is acclaimed a hero for fighting for the underdog. Josefa offers Paul her favors for helping her, but he thanks her and declines. The play ends with Paul sending Josefa back out into the world with instructions to find a nice guy and settle down.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Idiote
1961 plays
French plays adapted into films